It's not how far or how fast but what you do and what you see

Wade Illustrating the Forces of Nature

Day 7 (6/25/14)

The Dolmen project is not entirely about outdoor fun and recreation. There is a great deal of research and development that goes in behind the scenes. Much of the morning is spent with Grandpa trying new elaborate ideas while Wade illustrates how vulnerable they will be to the forces of nature. We have a vast array of building materials to work with so that we are able to ensure every scenario. Occasionally we take a break from our studies to journey to the magic gate. This amazing portal allows free travel for the kitties between our realm and the underworld and back again. It is a place of vast mystery. Wade has spent a great deal of time studying this anomaly. All that research can really tire a guy out and Wade was fast to sleep soon after leaving the driveway. It was a beautiful day, by far the best we have had so far. Surprisingly there were not a lot of people on the trail so we were able to do some building. I still spend a lot of time scavenging for materials. Where I think there should be resources sometimes there isn't so I end up working with what I can find. That is kind of the idea anyway but sometimes the pickings are quite meager. I am sure after a couple of weeks we will have located some good stashes. Wade must have really enjoyed the nice weather because he slept right up to the last build. It can’t get much better than it was today nice sunshine, good company (although very quiet) and creating.

Research and Development

Another failed attempt

Perhaps this?

No Way

At the mystery portal

Question of Balance rebuild

Tripod gets a Dangler

A Start

Dare I call it Slender man 

Another start

Family Affair

Day 7 (6/25/14)

Me and My Little Buddy

Grandma had the day off so she joined Wade and me on our daily ride and build. Yesterday after our ride a storm went through so I was surprised to find everything still standing, although our first build had some parts missing. Tomorrow perhaps we can fix it. It was another cool damp morning with a heavy fog that you could feel like a thin mist pelting your face. We used the trip to check out future build sites. The area where “Dangler” used to stand has really grown up and I think somebody must have taken the steel for scraping. Although I found the wood and the rocks from the original sculpture there was no sign of the parts that had given Dangler its name and character. I will probably look future but since it has grown up so much it would not be visible anyway. When we got to the site of the old “Prairie Build” I decided to stop and make my one build of the day. Unlike the area around Dangler there seemed to be materials and a nice area to build in. I may have to build a few more there. As I was finishing up the new “Prairie Build” Wade began to wake up so we started making our way back home. We had gone further out then I had gone with Wade before but he seemed quite content on the ride home. Tomorrow is supposed to a nice so I am pretty excited. Maybe summer will make it to Wisconsin yet.

Grandma Daycare

We really need to make a Bigfoot Crossing Sign

Working on my first and only build

Somebody is wide awake

New "Prairie Build" 

Are we home yet?

A Good Day to Build

First Build with Wade

Day 6 (6/24/14)

It feels good to be back on the trail again and even better to have my little buddy with me. Today was our first day of building. OK, maybe Wade doesn't do a lot of building but he is there for moral support. We started building almost as soon as we hit the trail. I had built there before and knew there would be a nice supply of materials. I was right and although they were protected by biting ants I am getting pretty impervious to them by now. I was happy with how the first build went together. I now have two concerns while building. One is not being seen while building and the other is making sure my partner is comfortable and happy. So far they both have been easy since there are few others out on the trail and Wade falls to sleep almost as soon as we hit the trail. He missed a lot of wildlife today though. I saw deer, cranes and lots of bunnies. The deer must be used to people because he just stood and watched until I slowed to get my camera. Then he was gone. The second build I had to wade out into the water the build and since I wear crocs it’s not a problem. I love my crocs. This second build was small but intriguing. By the time I was finished with that build the sun was starting to poke out. I wanted to make one more build and that was “Tripod”. “Tripod” is my oldest and dearest build and although it has gone through many incarnations it has always been there from almost the beginning. It is up but by no means finished.  I decided not to take any chances with my little ward waking up crabby so I called it a day and headed back home. Just as I stopped to check for traffic at the end of the bike trail he looked up and around and was wide awake for the rest of the ride home.

Getting Started

First Build Finished

Water Build

"Tripod" is Back

Grandpa Daycare

Day 5 (6/23/14)

1st Stop

Welcome to Grandpa Daycare. A lot has changed in the last seven years but without a doubt the best is the addition of our Grandson Wade to the family. Although he tried to come into the world almost four months early, through the miracle of modern medicine, they were able to postpone his arrival for another month and a half. He was a small but healthy 3 pounds 7 ounces when he was born. Now it is almost a year later and Grandpa gets to take care of him in the mornings while Mom and Dad teach summer school. The plan is to spend as much time as possible on the bike trail. Today was the maiden voyage and except for it being damp and foggy all went well. Mostly I just wanted to check out all the equipment and make sure everything was working properly. About twenty minutes into the ride my partner decided to take a nap which thanks to his bear buddy neck brace worked out well. I am guessing by the jabbering going on next to me he is now well rested. I can see that we are going to have a lot of work to do since last summer I had little chance to do any building or even maintenance. Everything is down and in many cases the materials are even gone. Right now after all the rain we have had it is a little wet to do much building but perhaps the sun really will come out tomorrow and we can get some building done.

Ready to start down the trail

Maybe Ill just rest my eyes

OK maybe Ill take a quick nap.

Nothing left of American Gothic

or Tripod

And just a little wet to rebuild

Wild Roses

The little stream is now a raging river

Looking back and going Forward

First Build of the Season

Day 4 (3/22/14)

The other day I was reading an article in “Art News” magazine on artist Rosy Keyser when I came across a line that gave me quite a chuckle. She was talking about how she had scavenged some corrugated steel for a project she had done.

“I scavenged for corrugated steel in Upstate New York, where the steel had been left for decades in tangled piles to decay. I borrowed it to resuscitate it,” the artist says. “Part of the thrill was trying not to get caught throwing it into the truck.”

How well I know that feeling of trying to not get caught while resuscitating materials. I often lament over the changes from that first year when everything was done in total anonymity. It was inevitable, I suppose, that eventually somebody would catch us making a build, given the frequency of building and controversy surrounding that first year. It is hard to believe it was seven years ago that I decided to exercise my body and mind by riding my bike out each day to build cairns and mixed media sculptures out of refuse found along the bike trail. The last couple of years I have kind of slacked off and am hoping to do more this summer. It bodes well that we got an early start. The trail was still 30 to 40% snow covered with drifted areas over a foot deep so it goes without saying that we were not on bikes. On our way out we did little building because of a lack of materials. We enjoyed the weather though which was still hovering around freezing. After the first mile we determined that we would check out the next section to see if it was better. Unfortunately because of the shaded trail it was worse. When we got as far as where “Tripod” stood we noticed that by walking the railroad tracks back there was more available materials. There was not a lot of big stuff that wasn't froze down but we managed to find some goodies. As we walked we collected what materials we could and ended up making a half dozen small builds but that was enough to whet the appetite.

On our Way

I can't wait to do more work on this one. I already have some ideas

Spring Fed

Man with a Staff

New Build Site

Rebuild of a very old Cairn

Another one I am looking forward to adding to

Harrington Beach Ice

Day 3 (2/23/14)

On the Ice

It was time for us to take our almost yearly outing to Harrington beach for our winter walk or ski along the shore line. I say almost yearly because there have been a couple of years that we haven’t made it. There have also been years where it wasn't that much different than in the summer. This was not one of those years. With our unseasonably cold winter the lake has taken on a whole new look. It looks like a cross between a moonscape and a scene from frozen. As it has been for the last three Sundays the sky was completely blue and clear. The temperature was a balmy 22 degrees when we went out with a slight wind that made it perfect for a winters hike. The shoreline was obscured by mini mountains of ice and snow punctuated with the occasional ice volcano. Due to rains earlier in the week the walking was treacherous. The mounds had a slick covering of ice over the surface which made climbing around on them interesting. As long as you kept an eye on where you were going you could pick your way through troughs between the mounds were some snow had collected. As long as you didn't accidentally step into a crevice all was well. We each managed to find areas where suddenly one leg would disappear into the depths. Fortunately there was never water at the bottom or if there was our leg didn't make it that far. For obvious reasons we were often warned about taking a dog out on to the ice. The biggest danger to dogs are the ice volcanoes or blow holes. On a rough windy day you can see the water shooting up through them like spouting whales.  On a day like today you can peer down in to them. Some of the older ones are frozen over on the bottom. It would take a braver than me to crawl down into some of the larger ones. Eileen managed to get some nice pictures of icicles down inside of one. It is always a treat to see these formations and just about the time you think you have seen it all you find something new. The edge where the ice meets the water can have especially unique formations. After hours of walking and looking we decided to call it a day but were glad that we got out to check it out.

Ice Formation

Sunny Day

Walk the plank anyone

Closeup of Ice Formations

Ice Formations

Miss Adventure crawling into an Ice Volcano

Scary

Eileen at Work

Two small ice volcanos

Thin Ice

Some of Eileen's shots down in a Ice Volcano 

Another

An active Volcano

Looking down into a Blow hole

Time to rest